英语听书《海底两万里》第474期 第29章 缺少空气(6)

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Captain Nemo led me to the galley¹ where a huge distilling² mechanism³ was at work, supplying drinking water via evaporation⁴. 尼摩船长领我到厨房中，那里有许多复杂的蒸馏器，由蒸发作用供应我们可以喝的开水。

The mechanism was loaded with water, and the full electric heat of our batteries was thrown into coils awash in liquid. 机器装满了水，电池所有的电热都投到浸在水中的螺旋管中去。

In a few minutes the water reached 100 degrees centigrade. 几分钟后，这水就达到沸点。

It was sent to the pumps while new water replaced it in the process. 把开水送入抽气机中，同时就有冷水进来，补充流出去的开水。

The heat generated by our batteries was so intense that after simply going through the mechanism, water drawn⁵ cold from the sea arrived boiling hot at the body of the pump. 电池发出的热力达到很高的程度，单单经过机器，从海中吸进的凉水，一到抽气机中就滚开了。

The steaming water was injected into the icy water outside, 开水的放射开始，

and after three hours had passed, the thermometer gave the exterior⁶ temperature as -6 degrees centigrade. 三小时后，在外面的温度表指着零下六度；

That was one degree gained. 温度提高一度。

Two hours later the thermometer gave only -4 degrees. 两小时后，温度表只指在零下四度了。

After I monitored the operation's progress, double-checking it with many inspections⁷, I told the captain, "It's working." 我看了这种工作的进展，同时从许多地方加以检查，我对船长说：“我们一定可以成功。"

"I think so," he answered me. “我想可以成功，”船长回答我说，

"We've escaped being crushed. “我们不至被压扁了。

Now we have only asphyxiation⁸ to fear." 我们所怕的只有被窒息了。”

During the night the water temperature rose to -1 degrees centigrade. 在夜间，水的温度又提高了一度。

The injections couldn't get it to go a single degree higher. 开水的放射力量不能使温度再提高了。

But since salt water freezes only at -2 degrees, I was finally assured that there was no danger of it solidifyin 可是海水的冰冻作用要再下两度才能发生，因此我们得到保证，不至有凝固的危险了。

By the next day, March 27, six meters of ice had been torn from the socket⁹. 第二天，3月27日，六米厚的冰从这冰窝中挖去了。

Only four meters were left to be removed. 还剩下四米厚的冰需要挖去。

That still meant forty-eight hours of work. 还要四十八小时的工作。

The air couldn't be renewed in the Nautilus's interior. 在诺第留斯号内部，空气不可能调换。

Accordingly, that day it kept getting worse. 因此，这一天的情形是更坏了。

An unbearable¹⁰ heaviness weighed me down. 一种不可忍受的重浊空气使我难过。

Near three o'clock in the afternoon, this agonizing¹¹ sensation affected¹² me to an intense degree. 下午三点左右，这种痛苦感觉到了猛烈的程度。

Yawns dislocated my jaws¹³. 呵欠喘气把我的上下鄂都弄歪了。

My lungs were gasping¹⁴ in their quest for that enkindling elastic¹⁵ fluid required for breathing, 我的肺叶迫切寻求有活力的氧，是呼吸所必不可少的东西，

now growing scarcer and scarcer. 现在愈来愈稀薄了。

My mind was in a daze¹⁶. 我的精神完全在昏沉沉的状态中。

I lay outstretched, strength gone, nearly unconscious. 我没有气力地躺下来，差不多失去了知觉。

My gallant¹⁷ Conseil felt the same symptoms, suffered the same sufferings, yet never left my side. 我的忠实的康塞尔有了同样的病征，受着同样的苦痛，他在我身边，再不离开我。

He held my hand, he kept encouraging me, and I even heard him mutter: 他拉着我的手，他鼓励我， 我还听到他低声说：

"Oh, if only I didn't have to breathe, to leave more air for master!"  “啊！如果我可以不呼吸，让先生可以多有些空气！”

It brought tears to my eyes to hear him say these words. 我听到他说这话，不觉眼中满是泪水。

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